1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to technologies of an advertising method on a network. More specifically, the present invention relates to a distributing method of information based on a system enabling statuses of each user to be referred to via a network.
2. Description of Related Art
In the present invention, an awareness system means a system enabling statuses of each user to be referred to via a network. In this system, users set a list of acquaintances, what is called a buddy list, and obtain statuses of other users registered in the buddy list. The user statuses and the buddy list are managed by the awareness server.
In these years, communication with an awareness system such as ICQ or AOL Instant Messenger has been rapidly diffused on the Internet. When a user sets a user list called a buddy list in such a system, the user is notified of another user's status registered in the buddy list such as “connected,” “present,” or “busy.” The user refers to the notified user status and can select communication means such as instant message or chat according to the other party's status.
Meanwhile, use of cellular phones having a function for connecting to the Internet rapidly expands and wireless Internet access services for PDA are starting. For these mobile terminals, development of applications for an awareness system is also in progress. For mobile terminals, more detailed user statuses such as “aboard a train,” “driving a car,” and “at table in a restaurant” are more important than a status such as “connected” in considering timing of making a call or promoting communication.
An effective thing for notifying such status information is an image in icon format. Since display area is limited in mobile terminals, icons that can represent condensed information in a small display area are needed. Therefore text sets of many mobile terminals usually include icons representing faces with various expressions, weather, conveyance, place, etc. Mainly young generations frequently use these icons for short messages or e-mail, using mobile terminals.
In an awareness system, status information that users can select and input themselves as well as information such as network connection status that the system can automatically obtain as user status are useful. Above all, when a user uses a mobile terminal on an awareness system that is used under various conditions, status information that the user inputs is a good source of topics.
However, since input of statuses is troublesome for users and there are no direct merits that counteract such troubles, users often neglect to input statuses. Thus it is conceivably necessary to make status inputted through natural activities of users or give users incentive to voluntarily input status.
Further, a large variety of icons representing status information are needed for detailed status notification. However, in an existing conventional awareness system, since icons are limited to the ones that are prepared by the system, representation of status is limited. To richly represent status, a scheme that can dynamically increase kinds of icons according to needs is required.
Meanwhile, of various services provided on the Internet, services provided for free are almost entirely dependent on advertisement, such as a Web banner. Many awareness systems are provided as one of the free services like this. However, since awareness systems provide private communication among users, advertisements irrelevant to users is less effective and may be repulsive to users, such advertisements are all the worse for mobile terminals with limited display area.
Since Web banner advertisements overflow, the trend is that the level of attention paid to the advertisements is decreasing year after year. An advertisement approach in which only advertisements of interest are distributed by e-mail with a consumer's permission, called opt-in mail is also used. However, the process to generate applications for opt-in mall depends on other advertisement means. Above all for individual-oriented media such as mobile terminals, many users express feelings of resistance toward advertisement distribution by e-mail.
Although companies provide advertisements for consumers, consumers usually have a distrust of companies' advertisements. Accordingly, reputation spread by word of mouth is often a more critical factor than advertisements on the occasion of purchasing services or items. On the Internet, evaluation sites of services and items are provided and are popular among consumers. However, such sites are always occupied by some enthusiastic evaluators and general users do not bother to input evaluation. Therefore, it is difficult for users to naturally know evaluation of familiar friends on the above-mentioned evaluation sites.